Bryce goes to see Ruhn’s medwitch friend to have the poison extracted from her kristallos injury. She hopes the witch can create an antidote to synth from it. The process is excruciatingly painful, but Hunt is there to offer emotional support. “‘Breathe,’ he ordered her. ‘You can do it. We can get through this.’ Get through it—together. Get through this mess of a life together. Through this mess of a world. Bryce sobbed, not entirely from pain this time” (567).

The medwitch is able to neutralize a sample of synth using the extracted venom. She gives some to Bryce in a sealed container as a memento. The witch is also curious about Hunt’s tattooed halo that binds his powers and keeps him in servitude. She hints that she might be able to remove the enchantments, but this is a dangerous conversation to have.

Hunt flies Bryce home. They no sooner arrive when he gets a call from Micah ordering both of them to the Comitium. At headquarters, they are confronted by Sabine and her alpha, Amelie. Because he is a slave, Hunt’s attack on Amelie is grounds for execution. Micah resolves the issue by sentencing Hunt to the Living Death. The angel’s wings are hacked off.